10 Oct The Process of Becoming… YOU.

“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.”

~Anais Nin

During a sommelier course I took years ago I learned about the process of stressing the vine. When growing conditions are perfect for the varietal the vine is left as is. BUT, if conditions are “too perfect,” if there is an abundance of water or too much sunshine, wine makers will make growing conditions less desirable (stress the vine), so as to not harvest “spoiled” grapes. They will spend thousands of dollars on tarps covering the grapevines from sunshine and sometimes even hire helicopters to hover over the vinyards shielding the grapevines from too much rain. This process, although a bit controversial, ensures a delicious and intricate wine that could be described as “complex” and “deep,” as compared to the “simple” and “dull” wines that would most likely come from grapevines in which water and sunshine were readily available.

Learning about stressing the vine was one of the most amazing lessons I took from this course. One that can be applied to our development as humans. There are times when we are comfortable. When we have everything that we need and everything feels “just right.” And then an opportunity arises. An opportunity that will take us to the next stage of “becoming.” It is during this stage, if we are brave enough to explore the lesson, that we are in totally new territory and nothing feels right. This isn’t because everything is “wrong,” it is because we are growing and developing a new state of being.

Nothing is “wrong.” Nothing is “right.”

EVERYTHING is different.

This IS the process of becoming.

As humans, we are born into certain conditions that are out of our control. We may be given everything we need from an early age without learning to appreciate the significance of our privileged existence. OR, on the other end of the spectrum, a child might grow up in poverty without having an opportunity to ever experience the richness that is able to grow from such perspective.

In between these extreme examples exists a broad spectrum of humans who are all learning to BE.

Grapes, without the heavy burden of the mind, have no choice. They must search for water and sunshine, regardless of the journey. There is no other option. Do they all survive? No. It is “survival of the fittest.” The grapes that make it to the sunshine, that journey long and hard to find their water source, develop a beautiful and mysterious bouquet of flavors that could only have come from their unique journey.

A beautifully delicious voyage…

I encourage you to accept the lessons that life presents with curiosity, an open heart and a quiet mind.

Be aware that this process of growth isn’t always smooth. On the journey you might run up against rocks or dry patches or, at times, both. You might feel stuck and alone. This doesn’t mean that you are…. it is just a test of your patience and of how honestly and deeply you yearn to let your fullest potential emerge.

If you have the patience and are able to do the work required; to be in the dark, to be in stillness and at peace with the unknown… the light that awaits you on the other side is more than worth the work it takes.

It is one thing to be alive and it is something else entirely to LIVE!